Metal fabric.



H. F. HAGER.

METAL FABRIC.

APPLlcAloN H11-:D Noy. 9, 1914.-

Pand hay 18, 1916.

HENRY F. HAGER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR ',IO HENRY SCI-IOMER COMPANY,

0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS. i

METAL FABRIC.

Speccation of Letters Patent.

Patented July i8, 1916.

Application filed November 9, 1914. Serial No. A870,992.

To all whom t may Concern.'

Be it known that I, HENRY F. HAGER, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Metal Fabric, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to metal fabrics and finds a very useful embodiment in bed inattress supporting fabrics, though the invention is not to be limited to such use.

The fabric of my invention comprises a plurality of substantially parallel load supporting members in combination with links disposed transversely to said members and provided with member engaging formations that operate to limit the extent to which adjacent load supporting members may be spread apart, whereby the fabric is limited to a predetermined maximum width, lsaid link formations, however', permitting the mutual approach of adjacent load supporting members, and preferably the mutual approach of any two load supporting members whether adjacent or not.

In the preferred lembodiment of the invention the load supporting members are in the form of normally parallel longitudinally disposed thin metallic strips constitiiting slats, while the transverse links are composed of similar material. Each link is preferably in coupling relation to but two, and adjacent, slats and the links iii adjacent longitudinal iows thereof are preferably staggered the more effectively topermit the mutual approach of any two slats. Each of these short links preferably terminates in hooks whose entrance openings face each other to permit of the mutual approach of the slats they couple and to define a limit within which these slats may spread where coupled.

I will explain my invention more fully. by reference to the accompanying drawing showing lthe preferred embodiment thereof and in which- Figure l is a plan view illustrating the formation of my fabric; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3 illustrates the formation of a part of a slat; and Fig. e is a bottom view of the formation illustrated in Fig. 3.

`pressed portions of the slats. distributed in longitudinal rows, each row spectto the links in the neXt row.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference inthe different figures.

A rectangular frame a has attached to two of its opposite sides the coil springs .7) whose inner ends are connected with slats of strip metal 0. These slats are' slit at intervals, portions of the slats inarginiiig the slits being removed-depressed-from the plane of the slats as indicated at d. Thus the portions inargining each slit are vertically spread apart to form an openingA of suflicient height in Awhich the link there received may move transversely with respect to the engaging slat, the depressed portions of the slats being sufficiently removed from the plane of the slats to afford spacing e that is sufficient to lreceive the strip metal links f while these strip metal links are in a plane parallel with the plane of the slats, the ends `of the strip metal links being inturned to form hooks which normally receive the de- The links are being disposed between adjacent slats, the links in one row being staggered with re- Each link, where it engages a slat, passes over the top surface of the adjacent depressed portion of the slat and passes under the bottom surface of the undepressed adjacentportion of the slat, these two slat surfaces operating so to guide the link in its motion with respect to the contiguous slat as alwaysto maintain the depressed portion of the slat and the hook space at the adjacent end of the link in the saine plane whereby no degree of relative lateral movement between the slats of the fabric will be sufficient to uncouple the slats and links. Thus the engagement between the'slats and links is such that the slats and links cooperate to insure reengagement between the hook ends of the links and the depressed portions of the slats whenever the depressed 'portions of the slats are removed from engagement with the hook ends of the links. The outside slats c1 are desirably heavier than the remaining slats, and in order to prevent the outer links from projecting laterally of the fabric beyond the slats 01 the outer ends of the links of each outer longitudinal row of links are riveted to said outside slats. Further to increase the marginal strength of the fabric each end of each outside slat o1 is coupled with ythe fabric supporting frame by two springs vas changes may readily be made without de- .parting from the spirit of my invention, but

Having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following l. A metallic fabric including a plurality of slats placed side by side and formed of strip metal and rows of links formed of strip metal each row being disposed between adjacent slats, the links being staggered in y adjacent rows and formed with opposing inturned hooks at their ends, the slats being slit where engaged with the links, portions of the slats margining the slits being removed from the general plane of the slats to enable the links to be received in the pla-ne between the slats and the portions removed from the plane of the slats, the hook openings being in the plane of the slat portions that are removed from the general plane of the slats whereby the spreading movement of the slats is limited and the slats are permitted to move closer together.

2f A metallic fabric including a plurality of slats placed side by side and formed of strip metal and rows of links each row being disposed between adjacent slats, the links being staggered in adjacent rows and termed with opposing inturned hooks at their ends7 the slats being slit where engaged with the links, portions of the slats margining the slits being removed from the general plane of the slats to enable the links to be received in the plane between the slats and the portions removed from the i plane of the slats, the hook openings being in the plane of the slat portions that are removed from the general plane ot the slats whereby thespreading movement of the slats is limited and the slats are permitted to move closer together.

3. A metallic fabric including a plurality of slats placed side by side and formed of strip metal and rows of links each disposed between adj acent slats, the links being staggered in adjacent rows and formed with opposing inturned hooks at their ends, the slats being slit where engaged with the links, the portions of the slats margining HENRY F. HAGER.

Witnesses G. L. CRAGG, ETTA L. WHITE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

